Philadelphia got the best of Tampa in the last meeting, but the Lightning will get their lick back tonight.
NHL
The Tampa Bay Lightning return home for a matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers tonight.
My Flyers vs. Lightning predictions and NHL picks expect Tampa Bay to take care of business with ease in this March 17 matchup.
My best bet: Lightning -1.5 (-115 at DraftKings)
My analysis
The Philadelphia Flyers are back on the road after winning just one game on their seven-game homestand. The lone win was against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but the Bolts have a few key pieces back tonight.
First and foremost, it should be starting goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy between the pipes after Jonas Johansson started in Philadelphia. Perhaps just as importantly, Nikita Kucherov — who ranks third in the NHL with 93 points — is also back. Both players returned for the Lightning’s 6-2 win in Boston on Saturday night in which the Bruins were held to just 12 shots by Tampa Bay.
The Lightning are rightfully huge favorites on the moneyline, so I’m going with the puck line here. The Bolts have won by at least two goals in nine of their past 10 victories and 29 of 38 this season. On the flip side, the Flyers’ last six losses were all by at least two goals, with 26 of 40 defeats on the season by the same margin.
We saw these two teams match up at similar times last year. The Flyers turned the lights off on the Lightning in a 6-2 win on February 27 before the trade deadline. The Bolts then shut out a depleted Flyers team 7-0 on March 9, with John Tortorella getting ejected from the game.
Lightning -1.5
Brandon Hagel 1+ point
Noah Cates 2+ shots
Brandon Hagel has been fantastic for the Lightning this season. He’s second on the team in goals (31), assists (42), and points (73) through 66 games and is riding a three-game point streak.
Noah Cates has been a pleasant surprise in recent months, and he’s also shooting the puck consistently. Cates has multiple shots in three straight games and eight of his last 10 contests, including three against the Lightning on Thursday night.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
The Philadelphia Flyers have only covered the puck line in 37 of their last 82 games (-24.90 Units / -20% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Flyers vs. Lightning.
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Ryan Gilbert brings the passion and pain of being a Philadelphia sports fan. After graduating from Monmouth University with a finance degree, he now uses his statistical background to find inefficiencies in betting markets. With past stops at NHL.com, NBC Sports, and currently at Covers, Ryan’s hot picks blend well with the cold ice of a hockey rink.
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